Track-sanding apparatus for street-cars



(N a 1. I

6 W. T. BUTLER & G. H. HATE-AWAY.

THAGK SANDING APPARATUS FOR STREET (JARS. No. 336,891. Patented Mar. 2, 188.6.

ATENT Enron,

WARREN T. BUTLER, OF CHELSEA, AND GEORGE H. HAlHAVVAY, OF FAIR- HAVEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRACK-SANDING APPARATUS FOR STREET-CARS.

EFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,891, dated March 2, 1886.

Application filed December 26, 1885. Serial No. 186,824. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WARREN T. BUTLER, of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and GEORGE H.

HATHAVVAY, of Fairhaven, in the county of Bristol and Commonwealth aforesaid, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Discharging Sand from a Car or otherVehicle Moving on the Top of the Rail of a Railroad, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement upon that patented by George H. Hathaway, January 1, 1884, No. 291,341, and relates to the construction of the hopper, chute, and actuating-levers forming the apparatus, the object of it being to obviate some defect found to exist in the apparatus made as described and shown in the patent referred to; and it consists of a hopper made in two vertically-corresponding parts0ne part fixed and the other part made to have a lateral vibrating motion, the edges of the vibrating side moving by the edges of the fixed part, and its lower end closing upon the lower end of the fixed side, where it is held by springs suitably arranged, closing the lower end of the hopper to retain the sand; also a chute from the lower end of the hopper upon an incline of about sixty degrees, point- 0 ing toward the top of the rail to be sanded, open on its uppermost side, with a shield or guard before it, to keep mud and snow out of it, and a system of crank-levers and connecting-rods, extending on a horse-car to the front 5 of the platform, so that the driver can, by pressure with his knee or foot, retract the movable side of the hopper from the fixed side, and open a passage at the bottom of the hopper for the fiow of sand into and down the chute to the rail.

In the drawings annexed, Figure 1 shows a portion of a forward part of a horse-car, Where the sanding apparatus is to be placed, (one on each side of the car,) with a vertical section of the sand-hopper and box in which it is placed and a side view of the system of levers, cranks, and connecting-rods. Fig. 2 is a top plan of the box, sand-hopper, and the levers, cranks, and rods. Fig. 3 is a device to hang upon the front dash-board of the car,

against which the driver may press with his knee and actuate the system of levers, cranks, and rods to open the bottom of the sand-hopper. Fig. 4 shows the box in which the sand-hopper is located, with a corner of it broken away, and the movable side of the hopper and a perspective of the chute; also by dotted lines the bar or fulcrum upon which the movable side of the hopper is supported and vibrates and the connecting-rod by which it is to be opened.

a is the fixed side of the hopper. This is made, preferably, of cast-iron, and is secured in. the box by any suitable nieansr The outer lateral wall of it is set at an angle to the perpendicular, the lower part inclining toward the opposite side, so that the hopper has a funnel shape.

a is the movable side of the hopper, also preferably made of cast-ir0n and correspond- 7o ing in form, construction, and size to the fixed side, but enough narrower to allow its sides to move within the sides of the fixed part. It is supported by and vibrates or oscillates on a bar or fulcrum extending across and support- 7 ed by hearing at each end of it in the box which incloses the hopper. This movable side of the hopper is held in its place with its lower end bearing against the lower end of the fixed part by a spring or springs, and is the gate by which the lower end of the hopper is opened to allow the passage of sand down and closed to retain it.

a? is the bar or fulcrum on which the movable side of the hopper rests and vibrates or oscillates. It is supported at each end by suitable devices in the sides of the box inclosing the hopper, and is attached to the movable side of the hopperin any suitable manner.

a is the chute through which sand runs from thehopper onto the'rail below. This chute is as wide at its upper end as the opening at the lower end of the hopper; but as it extends at an angle toward the rail it is narrowed to about the width of the rail. open on the uppermost side, to prevent the clogging of sand in it, and it is protected from mud and snow by a shield affixed to the bottom of the car,between it and the wheel.

a is the shield which protects the chute a.

It should be of metal, bent into semi-cylindrical form,with a flange at its upper end, by which it is affixed to the bottom of the car by nails or screws.

a represents springs by which the movable side of the hopper is held in its p1aee,with its lower end against the lower end of the fixed side of the hopper. The lower one is a push-spring, and the upper one is a pull. Any diiferent kind of or arrangement of springs which will answer the purpose may be used.

a represents the walls of the box in which the hopper is inclosed. These are made of plank of suitable thickness or of metahas may be found most desirable. This box, inclosing the hopper, will in a horse-car be located on der the seats near the end of the earone on each side, and at both ends of the car, if necessary.

a is a lip of sheet metal aflixed to the inside of the fixed part of the hopper, one on each of the sides, so made that the edges of the movable side will work between it and the wall of the fixed side of the hopper when it vibrates or oscillates. The object of this is to keep the sand from impeding the vibrating or oscillating of the movable side.

or is a swinging device hung on theinside near the top of the dash-board of a horse-car, with an arm and connecting-hook on the back side of it extending through the dash board, and connecting with the first lever of car, by pressing with his knee against a moves the whole system of levers, cranks, and connecting-rods, and draws the lower end of the movable side of the hopper away from the fixed side of it, and opens a passage for sand from the hopper into the chute. WVhen the pressure on the pad a is removed, the springs a force the lower end of the movable side of the hopper up against the fixed side, closing the opening and stopping the passage of sand.

These improvements render it possible and perfectly practicable to use (lamp, or unsil'ted sand, sand and gravel and small stones mixed.

We claim as new and our invention 1. In a sanding apparatus for horse-cars or other vehicles running on iron rails, a sandhopperconsistingof'twovertically-corresponding partsone part fixed and the other part made to have a vibrating oroscillating motion-substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. In asanding apparatus for horse-cars and other vehicles moving oniron rails, achute to guide the sand from the hopper to the rail upon an incline of about sixty degrees, with the uppermost side of it open,with a shield at a little distance from it, all substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

3. In a sanding apparatus for horse-cars or other vehicles running on iron rails. in combination with a hopper having one side movable, the swinging pad a and the levers, cranks, and connecting-rods a all substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

\VARREN T. BUTLER. GEORGE H. HATHAW'AY. Witnesses for Warren T. Butler:

CHAS. HOUGHTON, FREDK. L. HOUGHTON, Witnesses for George H. Hathaway:

J AMES A. YOUNG, THOMAS KENNEY. 

